Artificial intelligence (AI) is now a reality, and want it or not, it soon will be part of our daily lives. In a recent study, Bank of America Merrill Lynch predicted that the artificial intelligence market will blossom to $153 billion over the next five years: $83 billion for robots and $70 billion for artificial intelligence–based systems. Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes that virtual robots powered by artificial intelligence are bound to transform the way companies interact with their customers.

In a world where disruption has become the norm, super-intelligent machines have the potential to revolutionize businesses while benefiting users and society in general. But as these smart personal assistants blend into our environment, many questions arise. What should these robots look like? How should they sound? What kind of personality should they have? Should they express emotions? Should they mimic humans? Or should they be designed as something entirely different? We may not have the answers to all these questions, but there are four clear areas that need to be investigated by brands that have their eyes on AI.